Just a reminder: Obama’s jobs bill still has no cosponsors

posted at 12:00 pm on October 1, 2011 by Ed Morrissey

Remember when Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress to introduce his American Jobs Act, exhorting them on national television to “pass this bill immediately”? Obama used that phrase in various forms 17 times despite the fact that he didn’t actually have a bill to present to Congress until a week later. And as far as all but two members of Congress are concerned, the bill itself may as well not exist. No co-sponsors have added their names to either the Senate or the House version even after more than a week, although readers have to dig a ways into the Washington Post report to find that out:

And, earlier this week, Reid said that the Senate would not take up the bill when it returns from a short recess. Instead, it would first take up a measure to punish China and other nations for currency ma­nipu­la­tion. That bill, in keeping with the Democrats’ strategy, is meant to help several individual senators in manufacturing states, where competition from China is blamed for local job losses.

What about the jobs bill? “We’ll get to that,” Reid told reporters.

Anyone in either chamber can add their name to the bill as a co-sponsor. It’s not as if there are only a couple of Democrats in Congress. The House has 193 Democrats, 192 of which apparently don’t want to be associated with Obama’s job-creation track record. Democrats control the Senate with 51 members and two independents, although on this legislation it looks more like one Democrat and 52 independents.

We have a federal system, not a parliamentary system, so our legislature doesn’t take votes of no-confidence to force an executive out of power. But given the high-profile rollout of the AJA by Obama, including his demand for a joint session to escalate pressure for action, the lack of any co-sponsors on these bills is about as close as we’ll get to a vote of no confidence in this executive short of an outright floor-vote failure in the Senate on the bill.

Breaking on Hot Air

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Remember when Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress to introduce his American Jobs Act, exhorting themcampaign on national television to“pass this bill immediately” to piss of Green Bay Packers fans and Republican’s?

Actually, JK. On the coastal islands, where the poorer whites worked side-by-side with freed slaves, the cultures are very mixed and are respectful of each other (though not in every case.) So the dialects are used by everyone regardless of skin color.

What city folks consider racist is due to their own ignorance of the fact that all poor country folks say or behave differently than cityfolk.

“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

If ‘Pubbies were smart…
Yeah, I know… I did say “if”
They could turn this back.

All the House Republicans would have to do is take the President’s bill, and attach every tax it would take to make it all happen. Tax hikes on the rich, the middle and the poor. Tax hikes on gas, on payrolls, on anything that isn’t nailed down. Then bring this tub of lard to the floor with a huge price tag attached, and dare the Democrats to vote for it.

The President is trying to give away something for nothing. The Republicans have to show that he is giving with one hand, and taking a heck of a lot more with the other.

But given the high-profile rollout of the AJA by Obama, including his demand for a joint session to escalate pressure for action, the lack of any co-sponsors on these bills is about as close as we’ll get to a vote of no confidence in this executive short of an outright floor-vote failure in the Senate on the bill.

“I was popular and you can’t deny it!” -Major Frank Burns, M.A.S.H. 4077

Mr_Magoo on October 1, 2011 at 12:46 PM

“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

But given the high-profile rollout of the AJA by Obama, including his demand for a joint session to escalate pressure for action, the lack of any co-sponsors on these bills is about as close as we’ll get to a vote of no confidence in this executive short of an outright floor-vote failure in the Senate on the bill.

…“pass this bill immediately”? Obama used that phrase in various forms 17 times despite the fact that he didn’t actually have a bill to present to Congress…

I just heard a radio ad here in Southwest Virginia for a challenger to the encumbent Democrat State Senator. Even though it’s a state election, the challenger used the name Obama, tied to his opponent, either 14 or 15 times. It was hard keeping count.

Why does no one seem to understand this. This is not ABOUT the Congress taking up this bill and voting on it. It’s not about the bill at all. It’s all a song and dance to get people to THINK there is a bill with a chance anywhere of being passed, so next year when unemployment is as bad or worse than it is now, Obama can say it was the REPUBLICAN Congress that stopped it.

In fact, it’s the very fact that Americans don’t seem to know that Republicans don’t control all of the Congress that’s a problem. There was more bipartisan support against what Obama wants than for it, but that’s never talked about–only that the Republicans are standing in the way of “progress” and THEY are the ones making everything worse. It’s a sham.

“My name is Obamandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.